RESTORATION AGRICULTURE PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE

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Overview:Savanna Gardens, LLC is is excited to host its first Permaculture Design Course at New Forest Farm, a 100-acre perennial food forest farm nestled in the hills of Southwestern Wisconsin’s Driftless region. Using nature as a model, Restoration Agriculture is the intentional restoration of healthy, functional ecosystems as the context for economically-viable farm operations. Perennial crops, livestock, fungus, and pollinators are integrated to produce abundant food, fiber, and fuel and simultaneously restore critical ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, water purification and infiltration, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity. In addition to the basic elements of Permaculture design, our certified curriculum is expanded to cover the design, development, and management of farm-scale agricultural ecosystems.

Course Highlights:￼- Full immersion in the theory and practice of Restoration Agriculture - Keyline design, earthworks, and water management- Perennial crop establishment, maintenance, and breeding- Pruning, coppicing, and grafting- Integrated multi-species grazing- Renewable energy on the farm- Restoration Agriculture economics- History and ecology of Midwestern ecosystems

Participants will have the opportunity to experience life at New Forest Farm, one of North America's largest and most innovative perennial farm ecosystems located in Wisconsin's incomparable Driftless region. You will have the opportunity to observe and participate in many aspects of farm design and management including keyline design, livestock management, and the maintenance of perennial crops.

COURSE INSTRUCTORS

Mark ShepardMark is the CEO of Forest Agriculture Enterprises and runs New Forest Farm, considered by many to be one of the most ambitious sustainable agriculture projects in the United States. He was certified as a Permaculture designer in 1993 and received his Diploma of Permaculture design from Bill Mollison, founder of the international Permaculture movement. He has taught his innovative and highly acclaimed permaculture curriculum in workshops and design courses around the world.

Peter AllenPeter is founder of Savanna Gardens, LLC, executive director of the Restoration Agriculture Institue, an ecologist, restorationist, and beginning grazier. He has helped teach many courses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison including Ecology, Plants and Man, Environmental Studies, and Environmental Systems Modeling and Analysis. He has also designed and taught his own courses including Integral Restoration and Ecological Design, andContemporary Life Science. He is currently writing a dissertation at UW-Madison on the history, ecology, and agricultural potential of oak savannas in the Upper Midwest.

The Biodynamic Association awakens and enlivens co-creative relationships between humans and the earth, transforming the practice and culture of agriculture to renew the vitality of the earth, the integrity of our food, and the health and wholeness of our communities.